Tag



NOV. 22, 1932. A H swETT 1,888,704

TAG4

Filed Nov. 27. 19:51

Patented Nov. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES .ARTHUR E. SWETT, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TAG .Application led November 27, 1831. Serial No. 577,408.

My invention relates to tag structure and has to do particularly with structure of this character well suited for price, grade, quality, color, and the like identification of silk hose and similar goods.

The desirability of applying tags to articles of the foregoing character will be well appreciated, but this practice creates certain problems which must be taken care of. The

delicate nature of silk hose, for example, re-

quires careful handling of the same to avoid injury thereto and consequent loss and waste; and tags applied thereto should be of a character that will not tear or snag the hose either in their application thereto or after applied. The tags should be so secured that they cannot be readily removed by a customer for exchange of a low price tag for a higher price one. The ta s should lend themselves readily to identi cation marking. They should not include any parts likely to catch on other articles and tear or otherwise injure the same.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a novel form of tag whichis quite simple, inexpensive and readily and easily aiixed to the article, and which includes all of the foregoing desirable features.

A further object is to provide an integral 3 tag structure of relatively stiff cardboard, iberboard, or the like, which is so formed that it may be readily snapped upon the article without the use of separate fastening means, and which, when so engaged, is fixedly held against movement relative to the article.

Another object is to provide a tag structure of the foregoing character having rela- 40 tively-adjustable portions adapted for interlocking engagement with the article, which portions are free from Isharp or square corners, edges, etc. which would tend to snag, tear and pierce the article.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this description progresses and by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein,-

Figure 1 is a lan view of one form of tag 5 structure embo ying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the tag of Fig. 1 apphed to a silk hose;

Fig. 3 is' a section taken substantially on lme 3 3 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

lFi 5 is a view similar toFig. 4 except.

showlng the tag in a preliminary stage vrof application. f Fig. 6 is a plan view of a tag strip comprislng a plurallty of'integral-ly-joined tags of F ig. 1 in condition for marking by printing, etc.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the tag shown therein comprises a body 10 formed of any relatively stid material such as cardboard, iberboard, etc., which is of a somewhat resilient nature and upon which suitable identification markings may be placed by printing or otherwise. As will be appreciated, the tag body may be of rectangular shape as shown, or any other desired shape without departing from my invention.

The tag body l() is cut by suitable die, or other means to provide an integral resilient interlocking means which is adjustable relative to the body for securely interlocking the same with the article without the use of separat'e fastening means. More particularly, I cut the tag body 10 in such a manner as to provide therein an opening of semi-circular outline shape having an interlock member 11 depending therein. The member 11 is provided with an oval-shapedhead 11a cooperating with the complementally-shaped edge 12 85 of the tag body opening, and it also has a reduced stem. portion 11 integrally joined to thehead and body to permit swinging movement ofthe head 11 back and forth across the body opening edge 12. As will be seen by referring to Fig. l, the lower edge of the head 11"L is of less length than the opening edge 12. Also, the end edges 11 of the head 11 are uniformly and reversely curved to eliminate at that int any sharp or square edges likely to grip, pierce, or tear or otherwise injure the materialto which the tao' is applied.` The stem 11" is joined to the body along a curved line which extended coincides with the body opening edge 12, likewise eliminating any 10G shar 'or square edges or corners at that point. By orming the member 11 in this manner, there is provided, in effect, a pair of horizontally-spaced, comma-shaped openings 12, 13

near one end of the tag body, the tails of these openings projecting downwardly and '1nwardly toward each other and being 'oined by the slit forming the body opemn e ge 12. Preferably, for best results, the e ge 12 of the body openin is formed .on the same or approximately t e same radlus as the outer curved edges of the comma-shaped openings 12, 13. Such a cut-out leaves the central, depending member 11, which is free to swing back and forth over the edge 12 and engage the article to be tagged Without presenting thereto surfaces other than rounded ones.

In the carrying out of my invention, I form the body opening and the head 11a in such a manner that the head does not move back and forth across the body edge 12 freely, but with a snap-like action; This feature may be Vaccomplished in part by the nature of the cut and in part by the ab1lity of the material, to slightly expand after the cut, or the tool used in the maklng of the cut may be of such character as to slightly expand the head 11 toward the edge 12. In any event, this feature insures a firm wedge-grip-engagement between the member 11, body 10 and material to which the tag is attached.

In the application of a tagstructure embodying my inventon,'the head 11m is first moved or snapped through the body o ening to the rear face of the tag, as shown est in Fig. 5, if it is not already in that position. The material, for example, the upper edge of a silk hose 15, is then inserted between the back face of the tag and the front face of the head 11a with the upper edge of the hose,

preferably, engaging the top -of the commashaped openings 12, 13 across the base of the stem 11b. The head 11 is then pressed forwardly, carrying the hose material with it, and, with the hose material, is eventually (sulicient pressure being applied) snapped through the body opening over its edge 12 to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this manner, the hose material is wedgingly interlocked with the tag and cannot be removed, normally, without snapping the 'head 11" back to the position shown in Fig. 5. In fact, an attempt to move the tag relative to the hose material or vice versa results in the tag taking a firmer grip upon the material due to the Wedging action just described and illustrated in the drawing. Due to the shape of the interlock member 11, the lack of square edges, corners andthe like, in both the member 11 and the portions of the tag body with which the hose material may contact, there is no likelihood of any part of the tag structure piercing the hose material or so engaging the same as to tear it or cause runs and the like therein; and this is true, notwithstanding the application of considerable pressure to the tag or material in an attempt to remove the ta from the material or to move it relative to t e material without first manipulating the member 11 as above described.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that the objects and advantages hereinabove stated may well be accomplished with'my invention. The tag structure is quite simple in construction and is highly efli'cient from the standpoint that it is firmly retained upon the article and its likelihood of dis lacement is reduced to a minimum. It is quite cutomary in merchandising articles of this character during sales periods and the like, to place large lots of different priced, dierent grade, etc. hose quite close together on sales tables and counters so that the customer may readily select therefrom without the aid of a sales clerk. There is, in such cases, an o portunif ty for one so inclined to exchange t e tag on a lower priced article for a tag on a higher i priced one with resultant loss to the. store owner. A tag structure embodying my invention f considerably reduces the possibilities in this" respect in that exchange of tags without de-. tection is made more difficult. Furthermore, the self securement feature of my tag eliminates, under the foregoing conditions, the possibility of the tag structure on one article i" mjuring another article with which it may contact.

Tag structures of the foregoing character are usually of rather small dimensions and it 1s an expensive and time-consuming procedure to apply identification marking on each tag on its separate, complete form by printing or otherwise. I have, therefore, found it advisable to provide these tag structures in st-rip-like fashion, as illustrated in Fig. 6, so that the same may be fed to a printing machine, or the like, for the aixing of the proper identification marks. Specifically, I form in a strip 14 of proper material a plurality of equally-spaced.horizontallyaligned. seml-clrcular openings similar to the opening in the tag of Fig. 1, each of which openings have depending therein an interlock member 11, similar to the corresponding mem- ,1:5 ber of the tag of Fig. 1. The opposite side i edges of thestrip 14, at equal distances from the adjacent tag openings, is notched, as at 16, identifying the point at which the strip may be cut in order to segregate therefrom 1-2@ tags such as shown in Fig. 1. lThe strip, if desired, may be. perforated cross-wise (not shown) between the notches 16 so that the individual tags may be readily torn therefrom or the strip may take the identical form 125 shown in Fig. 6, suitable means being employed for cutting the strip between the notches 16. The tag structure may be readily and cheaply formed and deliveredto the user in this strip fashion.

I claim:

1. A tag structure comprising a bodyformed of relatively stiff material and an integral interlocking means formed therein being defined by a pair of comma-shaped openings formed near one edge of the body with the tails of said openings projected inwardly toward each other and connected by a slit in said tag body formed on a radius substantially the same as the radius of the outer curved Walls of said openings, said arrangement providing an interlocking member having an oval-shaped head with an arcuate-shaped edge adapted to engage a complementallyshaped body edge when said interlocking member and said body are in the same plane, whereby upon insertion of a flexible object between said body and said interlockingmember and movement of said interlocking member laterally over said body edge, the tag is secured to the object so that it cannot be normally removed by bodily movement of the tag away from the object.

2. A tag structure comprising a body formed of relatively stiii` material and having a semi-circular opening therein, an integral interlocking member depending in said opening and having an oval-shaped head with its lower edge shaped complementally to the adjacent edge of said body opening and having a reduced stem connecting said head to the body at the upper end of said opening, said interlocking member being of such length and said head being so related to said body opening that said head is moved across the adjacent edge of said body opening with a snap action to secure the tag to an object and for removal of the tag, respectively. 3. A tag of the character described which comprises a body formed of relatively stiff material, an opening of semi-circular outline formed in said body, an interlocking member formed from the material of said body and depending in said opening for movement through said opening toward the front and back of said body, said member having an oval-shaped head with its lower edge shaped complementally to the adjacent arcuate edge of said body opening and of less width than the adjacent edge of said body opening, and said member being of such length that free movement thereof through said body opening is opposed by the adjacent edge of said body opening so that upon insertion of a flexible ob ject between said interlocking member and said body and movement of said interlocking member through said opening such tag is confined and cannot be normally removed by outward movement.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

ARTHUR H. swETT. 

